September 2013 Chemo Group

Lisa- I am originally from NJ, but visited NYC a lot, and was in the hospital for few months as a kid, with no TV, so people watching out the window was my time passer. You can definitely go bald there and fit right in. Your friends probably don't care, and no one will give it a second glance!

Kim- Great news on the no chemo! You'll have to report how it goes on Tamoxifen. A lot of us are headed there next.

70ch- I'll have to try Club soda. Anything to rid my mouth of the dirty gym sock taste.

JellyK- Glad day 3 was not as bad this round. Hope it gets better each day.

Josgirl- I hope you and fiancé can work everything out. There have been a couple nights I have had DH go out to play cards with the boys, even though I really wanted him here, just for a sense if normalcy...and because he loves playing cards. I'll be praying all works out for you.

Sheila- I haven't heard of Halavan. I hope the side effects ease for you. I was on the pill...off and on...for probably 6 or 7 years. I've had 4 pregnancies, and I have 3 kids. I never carried my phone in my bra though I did see a news report a few months back about someone who did, and got a tumor there. I could not carry mine there, well...there was not enough there to support it, and it would have just dropped out of the bottom of my shirt! I was not exactly well endowed. Mine is usually in my back pocket, and yes, if you are wondering, that did just make me assess my butt for lumps.

LHL- It sounds like you had a great trip, and that you have a top notch surgical team lined up. Your BS probably could not tell the difference in lump size because he has felt so many breasts between then and now, it is probably hard for him to remember exactly what it felt like. I did not have a sentinal mode tested on the opposite side. To find the sentinal node, they inject the tumor with dye to see which node it drains too...it seems testing one on the other side, they would just be testing a random node??? I would ask how they would determine which node to test.

So my issue of the day is hair...ok, not hair...stubble. My hair seems to want to grow in, but the new stubble that keeps growing in, just falls out when it is about 1/8 inch long. So my head is in this constant state of random stubble. I pull at it all the time when I am hatless and wigless, and am constantly using tape or a lint roller. It drives me crazy! I am glad it wants to grow, but I wish it could either be hair or smooth. This chia pet that has been hit by a broken lawnmower look is obnoxiously disgusting...especially when you throw in the acne on my head. Sorry if I made anyone lose their breakfast on the visual. I guess I am thnkful that I reLly like my wig.

LHL- I use diaper rash cream down there, and it helps somewhat. I have a new found respect for my kids when they were babies with a diaper rash.

You can add me to the triple negative and BRCA negative list. I have the same questions about how this all started. So many questions with no answers. And I have the same reaction to and fear of chemo and surgery being the end of the road as far as treatment. I was very interested to hear about Halaven and I'm definitely going to do some research on it. I am so sorry to hear that the SEs are so terrible. With regard to rads, my BS said they would do SLNB after chemo and before surgery to see if there is any evidence that cancer cells made it to the nodes. If there is, definitely rads whether I do a lumpectomy or mastectomy.

Wishing everybody an easy week.

LHL - I agree with Kbee about the SNB - asking how would they identify the SN would be a good question.  And just to emphasize the arm restriction is hard. Port or not I will be getting stuck for a long time in the future and limited to one arm for the rest of my life.  I know they can do the blood pressure and draws on your leg but since I have now been an IV regular and they have trouble with 'good' my arm....no thank you for trying less common methods.  Also in regards to Lymphedema - my first cousin has had 2 primary BCs and developed LE from her second one (which requried no surgery...so not sure what happened but...) and her forearm is double the size of her other forearm and while she says it isn't debilitating it isn't fun.  Really made me be firm about not using my left arm for ANYTHING!

OK and just to share - I cut my hair pixie cutish (donated to locks for love and with my fiancee just cutting the ponytails off so lets just say it looked like a chainsaw went through it).  But I never clipped or shaved - just let it fall out - which led to black pillowcases.  But now with I would say with 99% gone the remainder looks crazy - I could be Jack Nicholson from the mental institution movie.  But I guess I really want to see if it will all fall out and maybe if it doesn't then it may look even crazier growing back.  And maybe TMI here - but today in the shower - yup my hair down there - going going....  Thankfully my eyebrows and eyelashes so far are staying.

Kbee - I am laughing about diaper rash cream ...who knew?

And as for me - doing better.  We talked through it which was utterly exhausting to do but reinvigorating in the long run.  The cloud is dispersing. 

lighthouse. I ended up getting an anti-fungal cream from my Dr. Worked well itch gone next day & mine was extreme.

Vanessa,

It certainly warrants a call to your doctor's office. An infection could be serious since the port drains almost directly into your heart.

All,

Had Chemo today and doctor's appointment. They gave me some additional oral medications for nausea. I'll have to go look, but one or two are steroids that I am supposed to take morning one and morning two after chemo. Apparently they are the pill version of one of the dripped steroids, so help the dripped nausea medication last longer. Will post their names in the morning. Hoping for a better week. Neulasta shot in the morning.

So grateful for my family and friends. It would be very tough to go this alone.

good morning ladies. I'm so glad it is Saturday! Got a good nights sleep last night for the first time in weeks. Of course, now I've been wide awake since 4:30. But I do plan in heading back to bed for a while and having a pretty lazy day. Best part about today, no rads! 25 more to go, but not today. I am taking Halaven as a clinical trial. It is currently used for metastatic treatment but they are trying to get it approves as a secondary treatment. I've been having severe fatigue, far worse than any AC day I had. And it lasts for days on end. Also really bad brain fog. I am just in a daze for days. Severe back and bone pain also. I've never experienced such intense pain. It gets scary because since the surgeon rearranged all of my parts, I have a hard time differentiating where pain is coming from. My back hurt so bad the other night that my chest also hurt and I couldn't tell which side it was really originating from. Since everything I'm doing has potential heart damage, I started wondering if I was having a heart attack. I started running off the other symptoms: weak left arm, tight chest, chills, sweating, etc, but I have all those things too between surgery rads and chemo. It's almost comical what a mess it is.

Kbee, I hope your butt was lump free, lol. Thanks for givin em heck jellyk, makes me smile.

Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend.

Lengbong OH my Goodness. Sure hope you are on the mend now. BIG HUG!

Lengbong - What a rough time you've had! I'm so sorry.

Vanessa - I agree, definitely call your doctor. If it is an infection you don't want to let it go untreated. Sounds like it could be.

I still have eyebrows and eyelashes, but my lashes have thinned a lot and my eyes water ALL THE TIME. It's annoying. Plus it's hard, because I try to use makeup to disguise the lack of lashes, and then it all just runs off anyway. Ugh. I have very sensitive eyes and allergy issues make them water anyway, so this is just ten times worse. Hmph. If it's not something, it's ten other things!!!!

knightzoo - I think you're right, nothing can prepare you to see yourself without hair. I still have some sporadically all over my head, but that may look worse than actually being bald! LOL I don't ever go anywhere without my wig or at least a bandana, even around the house. My son told me the other day that he hasn't seen my hair lately. I told him I don't have any hair, and he said, "Well, you know what I mean." I don't know if it would make him feel worse to see my pathetic head or not.

hi gals,

LHL- I finish on dec5 too! We are on the exact same schedule!

For the poll lump was on the right.

Thursday will be my first of four taxol treatments.....getting nervous but just want to be closer to the finish line!! Have a great rest of the weekend ladies!!

Hi Girls,

Sorry to hijack your thread for a minute. I was in the Chemo in Sept 2008 group and just celebrated my 5 year cancer-free anniversary. I celebrated by renting a cabin for 6 days in the Smoky Mtns in Tennessee and meeting 6 other women from my chemo group that I had kept in touch with through Facebook. As you know by now, there is a special bond between chemo "sisters". No one can totally relate to the chemo experience unless they have gone through it themselves. I wish you all the best during this battle. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer if I can. One hint for hair falling out... run a lint brush over your head every day, works like a charm.

Juli

Juli50 thank you and congratulations.

I am still going regular to bathroom but I do bleed. Dr told me to change to colace, no change yet.sorry

Nervous about starting taxotere on Monday, anyone already on that?

For the dryness, that can lead to anal fissures, I recommend Aquaphor. And, yes, I am speaking from experience.

Alfranco, I am on TC, so we've both had the Cytoxan. Maybe that's the bad breat common denominator. You'll have to let me know if Taxotere alone does that. Now I am curious!

9 days post chemo#2 and I decided to try out my running legs. Slow, but successful. I really want to run the Race for the Cure 5k next weekend. Crossing fingers to stay heLthy this week!